Edible pianos and flame-driven organs in instrument competition?

19th August 2013, 14:51

Judges are searching for weird and wonderful instruments as part of a competition in America - which has previously championed an edible piano and a voice activated synthesiser.

Musical inventors from across the world are being invited to submit their unusual instruments in an innovative competition. The Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, held at Georgia Tech university, is designed to show how extraordinary ideas have the potential to change the way music is made.

Entrants are invited to submit an application form describing the musicality, design, and engineering features of the instruments, along with a photo and video, if appropriate. Some of the more weird and wonderful entries since the competition was founded in 2009 include a partially edible toy piano, a flame-driven glass-tube organ, and an iPhone choir.

This year's entries will be judged by the Grammy-nominated audio engineer Young Guru, known for his work with Jay-Z, alongside David Zicarelli, and Chris Moore, professor at the School of Music at Georgia Tech. The deadline is October 18 2013, with the prizes being awarded in February 2014.